You sure don’t see Douglas fir floorboards such as those that adorn a Wilson Brothers house in Geneva.
And Joe McMahon, owner of McMahon Builders in Geneva, said that might be a good thing with some old design elements.
“Sometimes, the thought comes to my mind, ‘Thank God,'” he said. “Because there are things we’re doing that are better. The science [of building], the integrity of the building and the engineering has improved.”
In addition, building codes tend to be stricter than in they were in the Wilsons’ time.
“Just meeting the minimum makes them [new houses] safer,” McMahon said.
But if you have your heart set on a historic home, McMahon recommends exploring its nether regions to see how well it was built.
“The easiest way is to go into the basement and look around,” he said. “You can see how the foundation walls were built. You can look up and see the floor joists and beams and how they’re supported down to the concrete floor.”
As a custom builder, McMahon does admit he keeps his legacy in mind.
“I see my work as my art work,” he said. “The bottom line is that I like people to appreciate my artwork.”
But how long a house will last in good condition and whether it will be torn down and replaced by a new house is up to the owners and to the marketplace, he adds.
